Essence
by Neisha
Summary: "You asked Kagome if she wanted to handle your sword?" Miroku gasped through fits of laughter. "You're kidding me, right?"


I do not own Inuyasha or its characters; Rumiko Takahashi does.

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Essence

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She watched silently as Inuyasha practiced, legs curled beneath her as the warm autumn breeze wrapped gently around her. She studied the way he moved, and the way he held his sword. The two melded seamlessly in a dance that would have taken a normal person decades to master.

They shared a bond of sorts, Inuyasha and Tetsusaiga, but even then there was no rational explanation for the intense jealousy she felt toward Inuyasha's sword. It was irrational- she _knew_ that. It wasn't as if there was anything sexual in the way he held it.

He cherished it, always kept it with him; hell, he even slept with it! But that was expected given the circumstances that had brought them all together. Right?

Shaking her head, Kagome wondered just why her emotions were so - well,_ irrational_! She could count on her hand the number of times she had handled Inuyasha's sword. She could remember the way it felt in her grip, the weight of it, the tip glistening in the moonlight as her eyes took in its frightening length.

It wasn't much to look at in its normal state, but its transformation was magnificent to behold. She'd never understood what it was about swordplay that fascinated so many.

Personally, she preferred the feel of hardened wood in her hands; solid, yet warm to the touch, flexible yet unyielding against her palm. She relished the feel of a good release, the way it felt as it quivered in her hand, the power she could feel coiling and releasing with just her touch alone...

"Oi, Kagome. You want me to teach you how to handle my sword?"

Kagome jerked from her thoughts. Her eyes drifted up the rusty edge of Inuyasha's weapon, her previous thoughts taking on a new, different meaning as her gaze trailed past his hips and over his crotch.

Blushing scarlet, Kagome scurried to her feet. Unable to meet Inuyasha's startled gaze, Kagome turned and hurried away, praying to all the gods above that he hadn't detected the shift in her scent as desire and embarrassment flooded her senses.

"Err, some other time, Inuyasha. I'm going to the, uh, hot spring..."

"It's a cold spring, Kagome."

"Even better!" she mumbled distractedly before disappearing into the autumn leaves at the tree line.

Shaking his head, Inuyasha turned to make his way back to the open field he'd been practicing in. Kagome's scent had had him baffled since he'd first begun his afternoon workout. Irritation, and her narrowed gaze while watching him, had been the first sign that something was bothering her.

He'd tried to shake it off, eventually deciding that perhaps she needed a distraction, too. It was this reasoning that had prompted him to ask if she wanted to learn how to handle a sword. The hunt for Naraku had them all on edge lately. Physical exertion helped to keep him distracted. He'd thought it would help distract Kagome as well.

Training to use multiple weapons would be a benefit for her, though he had no intention of letting anyone get close enough to her to make hand-to-hand combat necessary. She was his to protect. Both he and Tetsusaiga had agreed she was worth any sacrifice needed to keep her safe.

"Is everything all right, Inuyasha?" Miroku called as he made his way toward him. "Kagome seemed a bit flustered. You two aren't fighting again, are you?"

"Keh... I don't know what's wrong with her," Inuyasha huffed. "I offered to teach her how to handle my sword and she went all weird on me."

There was no point in continuing his workout. If he knew Miroku half as well as he thought he did, Inuyasha was certain he'd be found at fault for something and would no doubt be sent to correct whatever wrong he'd unknowingly committed. But it was baffling. Even with his superior sense of smell, Inuyasha couldn't identify which emotion was responsible for her sudden departure.

First there was irritation, then confusion which was followed closely by embarrassment when he'd interrupted whatever thoughts had been bothering her. But why Kagome would be embarrassed over something as silly as training was beyond him.

It wasn't until she'd hurried away that he'd caught the final scent. Spicy and intoxicating, Inuyasha recognized it as one Kagome often had while studying him. He hadn't been able to place that particular emotion.

It was enticing, one of his favorites about her. It left him cross-eyed and drooling most of the time so he hadn't been to inclined to delve to deep into that particular scent, nor the reason for it, but he savored it just the same.

Inuyasha was drawn from his thoughts when Miroku laughed. The mischievous look in the monk's eyes was enough to remind him that nothing good ever came from Miroku's warped sense of humor.

"What?" Inuyasha growled.

"You asked Kagome if she wanted to handle your _sword_?" Miroku gasped through fits of laughter. "You're kidding me, right?"

Inuyasha waited in silence, eyes narrowed on the monk, wondering if Miroku had taken one to many liberties with the many bottles of sake kept in village. Inuyasha sniffed softly. Miroku's eyes were glazed over, whether from tears or liquor, Inuyasha wasn't sure. He didn't think Miroku was drunk... he didn't _smell_ drunk.

"Okay, okay... Sorry. What was our beautiful miko's response to _that _particular question?" Miroku queried once his laughter had died down and he was once again able to speak clearly.

Inuyasha shrugged. "You saw her. She left in a rush sayin' something about takin' a cold bath."

Miroku smiled softly, a knowing look passing over his face before he spoke again. "Inuyasha, did you notice anything different about our Kagome? A shift in her scent, perhaps?"

"Yeah... So?" Inuyasha answered cryptically. "She's had so many mood swings lately that it's hard to keep track of them all."

"So what 'mood swings' did she have this particular afternoon?" Miroku asked, clearly enjoying the moment.

"What are you getting at, Miroku?" Inuyasha growled. "I know you're getting at something, so just spit it out already."

"I will, Inuyasha, just as soon as you clarify her mood for me." Miroku pressed.

"Fine. First she seemed irritated, like she was mad or somethin'. Then when I asked her to train with me- "

"To handle your _sword_, you mean?" Miroku cut in, the smile on his face raising Inuyasha's irritation.

"Are you tellin' the story, or am I?" Inuyasha hissed in reply.

True, true. My bad... Sorry, please continue." Miroku replied, his smile turning downright perverted.

"I asked her if she wanted to..." Inuyasha watched Miroku's eyes drop for only an instant, the monk's gaze landing pointedly in his lap before raising again.

"Handle my..."

Miroku waited for Inuyasha to grasp the meaning behind his pointed stare.

Inuyasha licked his lips. He could feel his face gaining color as the implications of what he'd said -and the way Kagome had taken it- set in.

"She got embarrassed..." Inuyasha trailed off, eyes closing as reality slapped him hard in the face.

"And then what happened?" Miroku prodded, clearly enjoying the conversation far more than he ought to.

"She said she needed a cold bath, but she smelled so nice-"

It was Inuyasha's turn to smile as he realized suddenly just what the enticing scent surrounding Kagome meant and just why she would want to take a bath in _cold _water.

Miroku patted Inuyasha on the back as he walked around him to head back toward camp, leaving Inuyasha to his thoughts.

_I guess I'm not the only one that needs a cold bath every now and again._

Pulling his haori and undershirt off, Inuyasha plotted his afternoon as he settled in for another invigorating workout. Eventually Kagome would come looking for him. If he was lucky, he'd meet with that spicy scent of hers again, proving what Miroku had spent the last few minutes drilling into his head.

Kagome wanted more than just a 'training' session from him. If he was being honest with himself, he wanted more than that, too.

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**_A/N: Sorry for the long absence. _**

**_This oneshot was written for and posted to lj's prompt Autumn Leaves. _**

**_The next chapter for Deserted is finished. I am going to read through it _**

**_and edit it as best as I can tomorrow morning. I should have it posted by tomorrow afternoon. _**

**_I'd post it tonight, but reading through and editing my own work is _**

**_hard to do; I *always* miss stuff, lol. _**

**_I hope you like this one. Please let me know? I miss hearing from you all!_**

**_Neisha_**


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